IDM Superbike 1000: Mikhalchik Takes First Place Again, and the Mayor Is Delighted

IDM Superbike 1000: Mikhalchik Takes First Place Again, and the Mayor Is Delighted

Only one can win. Ilya Mikhalchik scored a one-two finish for BMW over the weekend, ahead of Bastien Mackels and Julian Puffe. Text: Anke Wieczorek, Photos: Dino Eisele

First, the bad news: Lucy Glöckner (Kawasaki Schnock Team Motorex) did not compete in the second race. She fractured her third lumbar vertebra in a crash during the morning race. With Lucy out, the field was missing its only Kawasaki.

On the track, the trio of Ilya Mikhalchik (alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW), fast starter Bastien Mackels (Wilbers BMW), and Julian Puffe (alpha Racing-Van Zon-BMW) quickly regrouped. They closed in on each other more and more, but in the end, nothing changed at the front, and the podium remained the same as after the first race: winner Mikhalchik in the center at the top, Mackels to his left in second place, and Puffe to his right. It was an all-BMW affair.

Starting from fourth position onward, each rider rode his own race—with moderate gaps to the riders ahead and behind. Among the top ten, this included Stefan Kerschbaumer (MPB Racing, Yamaha), Pepijn Bijsterbosch (BMW), Jan Halbich (Honda Holzhauer Racing Promotion), Dominic Schmitter (HPC-Power Suzuki), Toni Finsterbusch (Suzuki Mayer), Jan Mohr (MPB Racing), and Bobby Bos (Yamaha). Daniel Kartheininger (MPB Racing, Yamaha) would have been there as well had he not crashed on the third lap.

Mayor Marko Bias was bursting with pride for Julian Puffe, a resident of Schleiz, and had the honor of presenting him with the trophy. The mayor has high hopes for the 22-year-old race car driver: “He’s still young, and maybe one day a Schleiz native will actually win right here in Schleiz.”

In any case, Puffe has now caught up with the leaders. “I didn’t get off to the best start and slipped back to fourth place, but I was able to quickly work my way back up. The weekend was very productive for us and showed that I can keep up with Ilya and Bastien. Now I just need to be able to attack as well.”

Mikhalchik was blown away by his two victories: “The Schleizer Dreieck is one of the toughest courses I’ve ever raced on.”